Winter League Update - Final of 2025!

These will be the final updates for 2025, as we are taking the next two weeks off for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The Hasbeens — Lanes 15/16

What began as a rough night ultimately turned into one of our better performances this season. We faced the eighth-place team in the league—an opponent you cannot afford to underestimate. While their highest average is 177, meaning they are not stacked with overwhelming threats, they show up consistently each week, and a couple of their players can beat you quickly if given the opportunity.

Their anchor (the 177-average bowler) rolled games of 180 and 193 in Games 2 and 3. Their next-highest average player posted a 532 series, finishing with a 204 in Game 3. Had we not been bowling as well as we did, either of those performances could have decided the night.

On our side, we had several standout performances. Our leadoff bowler—and lowest average on the team—had a banner night, rolling games of 154, 199, and 141. Entering the night with a 117 average, he earned MVP honors without question. His spare shooting improved dramatically, and his first-ball average was his best of the season.

I was able to recover from a poor Game 1 and finished with a 518 series, scoring 216 and 181 in Games 2 and 3, respectively. A couple of difficult splits in Game 3 kept me from another 200-plus game. It still amazes me how a solid pocket shot can result in a 4–6 or even an 8–10 split—but I somehow found a way to do both.

Game 1 was a frustrating exercise in searching without success. I started outside and hit Brooklyn on nearly every shot, never quite finding my rhythm. Mid-game, I switched from the Phaze II to the hybrid and began finding the pocket, but the carry just wasn’t there. In the 10th frame, I stepped out of my comfort zone, made a significant move left with my feet, and started targeting the third arrow instead of the second. The reaction immediately looked better.

Game 2 was where things finally clicked. Standing on 35, targeting the third arrow, and breaking around the 10 board, I found the look I needed with the Phaze II. I started clean through the first three frames, then opened in the fourth with a 10-pin. After that, I strung together four strikes, followed by a 9-spare in the ninth and a strike–9-miss in the tenth for a 216. Those two frames likely cost me a 230 game. The pattern held until the sixth frame of Game 3. Three open frames dropped my scoring pace below 200, and I finished with 181.

We managed to sweep all seven points, which we badly needed. This was our final night in this league until after the New Year. Right-Left-Right will be back in action Thursday night.

Right-Left-Right — Lanes 17/18

We entered the night in third place and faced the first-place team on lanes 17/18. Based on how the lanes played two days earlier, we fully expected to be moved to another pair before the night was over. Fortunately, the lanes had been repaired, and we completed all three games with minimal issues. A couple of resets and dropped pins were a clear improvement over Tuesday’s experience.

We managed to squeak out three points by winning Game 2 and taking the overall total. They edged us out in Games 1 and 3, but by narrow margins. We began the night with a seven-pin handicap advantage, so we knew it would be tight. We lost Game 1 by 10 pins and Game 3 by 22 pins, won Game 2 by 26 pins, and captured the overall by just 17 pins.

I posted a mediocre 480 series and was hoping for more after Tuesday’s performance. I opened with a 179 in Game 1 and felt comfortable and relaxed. While early strikes were limited, I stayed in the pocket and trusted that consistency and spare conversion would eventually pay off. That assessment proved partially correct.

For the first time in a long while, my spare shooting felt natural and free. I finished at 65% overall—78% on makeable spares, 100% on single-pin spares, and 66% on multi-pin attempts. I left only four splits, which was a welcome change. Unfortunately, eight open frames kept my scores in check. Thankfully, my spare shooting compensated for a low first-ball average of 8.12 and just seven strikes across three games, four of which came early in Game 3.

With Christmas and New Year celebrations approaching, both leagues will be on hiatus until January, when we return at full speed.

Keep Striking!! 

Location: United States

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